A New Rival for Ikuto?
by claraowl
Summary: When he comes over to visit Amu one day, he hears her talking to Yaya about another person. Could this person be his new rival? One-shot from Ikuto's head. A sort-of sequel to "Who's That Chick?"; enjoy! Half hurt/comfort and half angst.


**Claraowl: HELLO!**

**Ikuto: What's wrong with you?**

**Amu: *tugs on Ikuto's sleeve and points at just-finished homework***

**Ikuto: Oh. **

**Claraowl: I do not own this! By the way, this is a fic for Vongolafan16. She gave me help on a fic! ****J Please enjoy! J J J**

Ikuto smirked as he landed on the balcony of his favorite little strawberry. He could hear light laughter coming from within the room. From the sounds of it, Amu had a mid-afternoon guest. He leaned against the wall to listen.

"Amu-chi, you're unbelievable!" It was the girl with the baby chara… Yaya, wasn't it?

"Why, Yaya," a familiar voice replied, "you're using big words! Are you spending more time with Kairi-kun?" Ikuto smiled. His little strawberry liked to tease, too.

"That is beside the point!" Yaya pouted. "Yaya just wants to know if you're ever going to tell him what you do with that!" Ikuto blinked. Amu did something with an unknown object that she didn't want a male to find out. Who…? What…? He pressed his ear against the door more firmly.

"I may, I may not," Amu replied infuriatingly. "What he doesn't know about this won't hurt him."

"But, Amu-chi," Yaya whined, "it would be so fun to hear what he says when you tell him!"

Amu laughed. "For you, maybe; I don't know if I'd have as much fun!"

"You would, and you know it!" Yaya giggled.

"Me?"

"Yes, you, Amu-chi! You just insist on hiding it behind your big blush!" Ikuto smiled before remembering what the two girls were talking about. What did Amu do with what that she didn't want whom to know about?

"That may be the case, Yaya, but I'm not going to tell him unless he forces me!" Ikuto frowned. Someone would force her to tell something she wanted to keep a secret? He didn't like the sounds of that….

"It doesn't count as force if you want him to kiss you, Amu-chi!" Yaya laughed. Ikuto became furious. Someone was kissing _his_ little strawberry? _His_ Amu-koi?

Amu did not say anything; she merely laughed.

"One thing, though," Yaya asked, "why don't you ever use -koi when you're talking to or about him, Amu-chi?" Ikuto silently rejoiced. So Amu didn't think of this guy as her boyfriend.

"I just don't like using honorifics with him," Amu said. "We didn't, even when we first met. I guess I just like the freedom of it." Ikuto's rejoicing ceased abruptly. Amu never used honorifics with this guy? Did that mean that she was closer to him than honorifics?

"Aren't you ever afraid that he'll just stop visiting?"

"I used to be, but not anymore. I know him too well by now." Ikuto's eyes widened. Who was this guy? Why did he get to be so close to Amu?

"Amu-chi, you know him that well, but you won't tell him how you use that?"

"I will eventually."

"Promise to tell Yaya his reaction when you do?"

"Promise."

"Oops, Yaya's late! Bye-bye, Amu-chi!"

"Bye, Yaya!"

Ikuto leaned against the wall. He'd thought he had something special with Amu, something different. He'd thought he was her closest male friend, the only one to kiss her. Had he really gotten her first kiss, or had she just not wanted to hurt him? What had she done with this other guy, his new rival? What was this unknown object that she didn't want the rival to know how she used? "Why?" he whispered. "Why? Why?"

"Ikuto?" Amu's voice burst into his thoughts. "Why are you sitting on my balcony? It was unlocked. I was waiting for you."

Ikuto stood up, attempting to hide his questions behind a smirk. "I felt like it," he shrugged.

"Are you okay, Ikuto?" Amu asked, seeing right through his mask.

"Yup, fine!" smiling unconvincingly, he plopped down on her bed. How many times had his rival done that, he wondered.

"Are you sure? You know you can ask or tell me anything."

"I'm great, Amu," Ikuto smiled, forcing himself to smirk. "Why? Is my little strawberry worried about me?" How many times had his rival claimed possession?

"Of course I am!" Amu sat down next to him on the bed, taking his hand. "You're a big, perverted cat, but you're _my_ big, perverted cat."

Ikuto forced himself to chuckle. If she said this sort of thing to him, what did she say to his rival? "I'm big, am I?"

Amu blushed to the roots of her hair. Ikuto wondered if his rival could make her blush like that. "Baka! I just meant that you're tall!" She released his hand; his heart stopped. She scooted closer to him and leaned against his chest; his heart continued to beat. How much more of this could he take?

"Amu…."

"Yes?" Amu looked up at him expectantly. "What's on your mind, Ikuto?"

"How many male friends do you have?"

Amu giggled. "Is Ikuto jealous?"

"I was just wondering, Amu."

"Well, there's Nagi, Kukai, and Kairi. I haven't heard much from Tadase lately, since he's so busy. And, of course, there's you."

"Anyone else?" Who was his rival?

Amu thought for a few moments. "Not unless you count family members."

"Oh." Which of the four was his rival?

"Are you sure nothing's the matter?"

"Yup, fine," Ikuto laughed. She wasn't telling him about anyone else… did that mean that she didn't want to hurt either of them? He wrapped his arms around Amu and hugged her tightly.

Amu grinned and hugged back. "Aren't _we_ Mister Snuggly today?"

Ikuto put his chin on the top of her head. She snuggled into his chest; he could feel her reading his heartbeat. "Amu, I need to go, I'm late for practice."

Amu sighed as they untangled their limbs. "Just when I'm getting comfortable…."

"Bye, Amu," Ikuto said as he made his way out to his balcony.

"Ikuto, are you free later tonight? I've got something I want to tell you." Was she going to tell him about his rival?

"I'll swing by later, then. I've got something to tell you, too." Ikuto thought that he might as well tell her what he's been working on… rather, show her.

"Bye, Ikuto," Amu said, leaning up and brushing her lips against his. Ikuto brushed back, then left. He needed to practice, if he had any chance at all left with Amu.

**~*Later*~**

_Now or never. Now or never. _Those words repeated themselves in Ikuto's mind as he walked over to Amu's house, his violin case bumping against his back. He stopped underneath her bedroom window. _Now or never._

Hopping up onto her balcony, he tapped three times on the door and meowed softly before opening the door. Amu sat on her bed, wearing her kitty-patterned robe and reading a manga. She looked up and smiled at him as he entered. Her charas were fast asleep in their eggs.

"Hey, Ikuto."

"Yo." He pulled his violin case off of his back and opened it, tenderly withdrawing his violin. "Try to hear what words I wrote into this song." He pulled the bow across the strings and began to play a melody.

_Memories_

_Whispers_

_Wind_

_Heart_

_Autumn_

_Fire_

_Trust_

_Spade_

_Taste_

_Absorb_

_Sunset_

_Clover _

_Leaves_

_Capture_

_Embrace_

_Diamond_

_Teasing_

_Midnight_

_Visits_

_Fortune_

_Strength_

_Fight_

_Fireworks_

_Devil_

_Belief_

_Acceptance_

_Wish_

_Angel_

_Questions_

_Growth_

_Reach_

_Child_

_Create_

_Try_

_Succeed_

_Make_

_Fallen_

_Picked_

_Maze_

_Up_

_Adorable_

_Warm_

_Kitten_

_My_

_Little_

_Strawberry_

_Love_

_Amu_

"Well?" Did she like it?

Amu blushed, raising her eyes from her lap to look at him. "It makes me think of when we had s'mores with Ami and those leaves surrounded us. It's a beautiful song, Ikuto."

"I thought of you when I was writing it," Ikuto said, putting away the violin. "The song is about you. I thought of all your different sides and the things we've shared and put them into the song." _She thought of the same thing I did,_ Ikuto thought.

"Ikuto, that's the sweetest thing anyone has ever done. Thank you." Amu leaned up and kissed him. Ikuto's heart rose. Was there hope for him, yet? Had his rival not taken Amu?

"What did you have to tell me?" Ikuto asked, attempting to ask casual as he sat down next to her. How many more times would he be able to do this?

Amu, blushing, began to undo her robe. Ikuto blinked. What was she doing? Was she wearing anything under that? Would he soon see some sort of evidence that his rival had claimed Amu? _Please,_ he silently begged, _anything but that._ Amu slipped off her robe completely. Ikuto's jaw dropped.

She was wearing one of his shirts - the one he had left with her a few days ago when she'd fallen asleep on him during a movie. He gaped at her, openmouthed and staring.

Amu laughed, snapped a picture of him, and sent it.

"What are you doing?" Ikuto asked, recovering.

"Sending the picture to Yaya. I promised her I'd tell her your reaction when I told you that your shirt is now my nightgown." It took Ikuto a few moments to realize what Amu had said.

He was his own rival.

Grinning in relief, he hugged Amu. "You can trade it for something else when it stops smelling like me."

"Planning on it."

Ikuto smiled at her words and put his nose in her hair, breathing in deeply. He kissed Amu's head. "Mine."

Amu wrapped her arms around Ikuto. "Mine."

A thought popped into Ikuto's mind, ruining the sweetness of the moment completely. "Are you wearing anything under that?"

His question rewarded him with a light slap on his arm. "Baka." Her blush gave him all the information he needed.

~*End*~

**Claraowl: TA-DAA!**

**Ikuto: *hugging Amu* Please review!**

**Amu: *laughing* You're your own rival.**

**Charas: *popping out of eggs* We'll send you cheesy pictures of the two of them snuggling! **


End file.
